This is a collection of recipes from Teresa Lapetina Greco (Big Mamma), her daughter Elizabeth Greco Noviello (Mamaw), her grand daughter Marie Noviello Casazza and her great grand daughter-in-law.....Lee Casazza. My cookbook is now available in a hard cover and in Kindle on Amazon. If you live in the USA, you can order it now from my website. I will personally inscribe and sign the book for you, just leave instructions. www.leecasazzacooking.com. . . Buon appetito!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

CASAZZA LASAGNE AL FORNO

Unlike most lasagne recipes, this version is made without ricotta cheese. I bake it in a rectangular baking pan that is 7 by 13 inches (18 by 33 cm), which is smaller than the usual lasagne pan, then cut it into 8 slices. Make the ragu the day before and all you will have to do is assemble and bake the lasagne.

Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and hand-crush them, removing the hard center cores.
Alternatively, use an immersion blender to chop the tomatoes. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Spoon this mixture
into a large pot or Dutch oven.
Add another tablespoon of the oil to the skillet and cook the beef until well browned, breaking up
meat with a wooden spoon. Spoon into the pot or Dutch oven.
Add the last tablespoon of oil to the skillet and brown the pork and pancetta. Spoon into the pot or
Dutch oven.
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine to the pot and season to taste with salt and
pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring
occasionally.
Add the basil 15 minutes before sauce is done.
Besciamella (Bechamel)
6 T (90 ml) unsalted butter
6 T (90 ml) flour
4 cups (1 litre) whole milk
2 t (10 ml) kosher or sea salt
1⁄2 t (2 ml) grated nutmeg
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until foaming; add flour and cook, whisking
constantly for 2 minutes. Do not brown.
Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium-high and bring quickly to a boil, while whisking
constantly.Add salt and nutmeg, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and simmer 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) degrees.
Spread a thin layer of ragu (meat sauce) in bottom of baking pan.
Cover with a ladle of the besciamella sauce, one quarter of the mozzarella, a sprinkling of grated
Parmigiano cheese, and a layer of lasagne noodles.
Repeat 3 more times, finishing with a top layer of besciamella and a generous coating of grated
cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking oil and bake for 30 minutes.Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Garnish with extra grated Parmigiano cheese and chopped parsley. Serve with a green salad.

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About Me

I self-published my first cookbook and I am very proud to say it was printed in the United States! Every recipe has a photo and they were not photo shopped and a stylist was not used. The food was real and I took the photos before the food was served.

When I tasted the "Sunday Gravy" prepared by my husband's mother, grandmother, and even his great grandmother, "Big Mamma"—I was hooked. Teresa Lapetina and Vincenzio Greco sailed to America from Naples in 1898.They were from the small town of Picerno in the province of Potenza in the southern region of Basilicata. They have all departed us now. . .ora sono la mamma!